Coin sorting device with anticramping means

ABSTRACT

Coin assorting device having a disc (12) mounted for rotation on a bottom plate (10) to pass below a coin supply tube (19). The rotation disc includes two pairs of recesses (16) for receiving a coin in each recess, the bottom plate having a discharge opening (20) for coins the diameter of which is less than a predetermined maximum diameter of the coin supplied. The discharge opening (20) extends beneath the mouth of the coin supply tube (19) and is shaped with an upper chamfered edge (24). Opposite sides of the wings (14) of the rotatable disc (12) are shaped in the form of blunt edges having a thickness which substantially corresponds to the thickness of the thinnest occurring coin.

The invention relates to a coin assorting device comprising a discmounted for rotation on a bottom plate to pass, when rotating, below acoin supply tube and forming recesses arranged in pairs diametricallyopposite each other, for receiving a coin from the coin supply tube ineach recess, said bottom plate having a discharge opening for coins thediameter of which is less than a predetermined maximum diameter of thecoins supplied.

Coin assorting means of this type are used in coin assorting machinesfor a so called second sorting of the coins. Then, the coins of anunassorted coin body are first subject to a first sorting, wherein thecoins one after the other are allowed to roll along a sloping path andin dependence of the size of the coin diameter are diverted therefrom inone of a number of stations, where the coins are allowed to fall intocoin tubes, the inside diameter of which is adjusted to the diameter ofthe coins to be received therein. In the coin tube the coins will form apile which accordingly should include only coins of one and the samediameter. It is completely precluded and it is a technical impossibilitythat a coin the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of coinsto be collected in the tube, could be included in the coin pile.However, it cannot be precluded that a coin or two having a smallerdiameter appear in the coin pile from time to time. When the coins arediverted from the sloping path it may in fact happen that a coin whichis diverted at the proper station brings along a smaller coin running inparallel with said coin, when falling down into the coin tube. Even ifsuch anomalies in sorting the coins are rectified by said second sortingapplied for many years, it nevertheless happens from time to time that asmall parallel-running coin which has fallen down into the coin tube,causes cramping between the coins and the lower edge of the coin tube.There is a particular risk of such cramping in such cases when thediameter and thickness of said incorrect coin are small. When suchcramping has occurred in coin assorting devices of the kind previouslyknown, it may be necessary to stop the coin assorting machine,disassemble the coin tube and then manually remove the coin which hascaused the cramping.

A main object of the present invention thus is to reduce, in coinassorting devices of the kind mentioned initially, the risk thatinterruption in the operation caused by cramping should happen. In casecramping caused by an incorrect small coin nevertheless should occur,still another object of the invention is to remove this interruption ofthe operation by automatically during a short sequence reversing therotational movement of the rotatable disc and by striking action againstthe coin eliminate the cramping and then automatically revert to theinitial rotational direction at the same time discharging coins.

According to the invention the objects mentioned above are achieved bydesigning the coin assorting device in accordance with thecharacteristic features specified in the appended claims.

In order to explain in more detail the invention an embodiment thereofwill be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the coin assorting device,

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the broken dot--and--dashline II-II in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 illustrates very schematically an arrangement for automatically,during a short sequence, cause the rotational disc to rotate in theopposite direction in order to eliminate cramping that has occurred, and

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate diagrammatically two situations in whichcramping may occur.

The coin assorting device comprises a bottom plate 10, which should befixedly mounted in a coin assorting machine. This bottom plate has onthe upper side thereof a milled recess 11, with a flat bottom in which adisc 12 is rotatably mounted by means of a drive shaft 13. The rotatabledisc 12 has four wings 14 which project from a hub 15 and are separatedfrom each other by means of substantially semicircular recesses 16. Theintended rotational direction of the disc is indicated by an arrow 17,and the edges of the recesses 16 are provided with a chamfer 18, so thateach wing 14 is chamfered on the front edge thereof, as seen in therotational direction, as well as on the opposite edge.

A coin tube 19 connects to the upper side of the disc 12 rotatable inthe bottom plate 10, said tube being arranged to receive coins from adevice for a first sorting. Thus, when the disc 12 is rotating, itpasses below the lower end of the coin tube 19. The disc 12 shouldpreferably have a maximum thickness which equals the thickness of thecoins to be received by the coin tube 19, such that the disc whenrotating past the lower end of the coin tube 19 will bring along thecoin which at each occasion is the lowermost coin of a coin pile in thecoin tube, when a recess 16 passes the coin tube 19. The chamfer 18 onthe front and rear edges of the wings 14 is shaped to form a blunt edge,said blunt edge preferably having a height which substantiallycorresponds to the thickness of the smallest coin. In the milled recess11 having a flat bottom there is formed a discharge opening 20, which isdefined by two circular edges 21 and 22, the center of which is locatedon the rotational axis of the disc 12. These two edges are radiallyspaced from each other a distance which is somewhat less than thediameter of the coins to be received by the coin tube 19, such thatthese coins resting on narrow portions at each of the edges 21 and 22can pass the discharge opening 20 when they are brought along by therotatable disc 12, then to be supplied to a suitable collection meansfor these coins at an edge 23 of the bottom plate. A coin, if any,having less diameter than the intended diameter of the coins in the coinpile received by the coin tube 19, will be discharged, however, byfalling down through the opening 20 in order to be collected at anotherlocation. In accordance with the present invention the opening 20 in thebottom plate 10 extends beneath the mouth of the coin tube 19. Thedimensions of the portion of the opening 20 which extends beneath thelower end of the coin tube 19 are preferably such that the distancebetween opposite limiting borders of the opening 20 does not coincidewith the diameter of any known coin which might be present in the cointube. The major portion of the limiting border of the opening 20 whichextends beneath the coin tube is further provided with a chamfer 24,which further facilitates for incorrect coins to fall down into thethrough opening 20 at an early stage.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an arrangement for automatically, whencramping between two coins and the lower edge of the coin tube hasoccurred, induce a reversed rotational direction of the rotatable discduring a short sequence corresponding to half a revolution, in order toloosen the cramping grip of the coins, and then immediately bring therotatable disc to rotate in the initial rotational direction at the sametime dischaging coins. A transmission sheave 25 for a transmission belt,e.g. an O-ring 26, is mounted on the downwardly projecting portion ofthe drive shaft 13 of the rotatable disc 12. A shaft 27 which also isprovided with a corresponding transmission sheave 25, is rotatablymounted in bearings in parallel with the drive shaft 13. Said twotransmission sheaves 25 form together with the O-ring 26 a transmissionfor driving the shaft 27 for rotation synchronously with the drive shaft13. Supported by shaft 27 is also a thin disc 28 provided with aperipheral through opening 29. Mounted close to the disc 28 is anoptical fork-shaped sensor 30, the branches of said fork being disposedone above and the other beneath the disc 28. One of the branches of thefork is provided with means for emitting a light beam vertically throughthe opening 29, and the opposite branch of the fork is provided withmeans for registering said light beam. When the rotatable disc 12rotates, one signal for each revolution is obtained. If an expectedsignal fails to come i.e. when the rotation of the rotatable disc 12 isprevented e.g. by cramping, the optical sensor 30 is adapted to triggera control signal to the drive motor for said disc 12 for reversing therotational direction during a predetermined period of time whichapproximately corresponds to half a revolution, and then again toreverse the rotational direction back to normal direction. When crampinghas occurred between two coins and the lower edge of the coin tube 19,the rotatable disc 12 is thus made to rotate in the opposite direction,the rear edge of the wing 14 then by striking action against the coindrives the coin back thus changing the relative positions of the coinsso that when the rotatable disc again starts to rotate in its normalrotational direction, the wing 14 manages to discharge the lowermostcoin. To prevent that the coin by backwards striking movement isdisplaced too long a distance backwards, a pin 31 is fixed to the bottomplate, said pin limiting the backwards movement of the coin.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate two different situations involving a certainrisk of cramping of coins against the lower edge of the coin tube 19.

FIG. 4 illustrates a case in which an incorrectly sorted small coin 32has landed on the feeding plate 10 beneath a correct coin 33. Usuallythis situation does not lead to any major problem since the chamferedfront edge of the wing 14 when said wing rotates only brings along thesmall coin 32, which after forwarding falls down through the opening 20,after which the following wing 14 brings along the coin 33. It mayhappen, however, that both coins 32 and 33 are displaced in directionforwards and then are cramped below the coin tube 19. If this happens,the rotatable disc is made to reverse in the manner described above,resulting in that the rear chamfered edge of the wing 14 strikes againstthe front edge of the coin 33 thereby displacing said coin in therearward direction so that the relative position between coins 32 and 33is changed. At the following feeding action by means of wing 14, onlycoin 32 is fed to the opening 20, the following wing 14 then dischargingthe correct coin 33.

In the situation schematically illustrated in FIG. 5 the incorrectlysorted small coin 32 is situated on top of the correct coin 33, whichrests on the bottom plate 10. In normal cases this situation does notlead to-any problems either. The wing 14 thus feeds only the correctcoin 33, the incorrect coin 32 then falling down into the opening 20.However, if cramping should occur against the lower edge of the cointube 19, the reversing action described above will occur, resulting in arelative displacement between the coins 32 and 33, coin 32 then fallingdown into the opening 20, after which the correct coin 33 is fed bymeans of the wing 14.

We claim:
 1. Coin assorting device comprising a disc mounted forrotation on a bottom plate, having a normal rotational direction androtating below a coin supply tube for coins stacked therein, said dischaving four wings separated by four recesses for receiving a coin fromsaid coin supply tube in each recess, said bottom plate having adischarge opening for coins, the diameter of which is less than apredetermined maximum diameter of the coins supplied, characterized inthat the discharge opening in the bottom plate is located beneath saidcoin supply tube, and that the wings of the rotatable disc on the sidethereof facing the normal rotational direction forms a blunt edge,having a thickness which essentially corresponds to the thickness of thethinnest occurring coin.
 2. Coin assorting device as claimed in claim 1,characterized in that each of said wings, on the side thereof which isdirected opposite the normal rotational direction of said disc forms ablunt edge, having a thickness which essentially corresponds to thethickness of the thinnest occurring coin, and wherein said blunt edgesare formed by a chamfer on the upper side of said wings.
 3. Coinassorting device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that theportion of the discharge opening of the bottom plate which extendsbeneath the coin tube, at least on a portion of its extension is shapedwith an upper chamfered edge.